Great discussion! Just out of curiosity, I made a king cake run to Nonna Randazzo's in Covington after reading these comments this morning. Didn't identify myself as a TP staffer, just a regular customer. I asked one of the employees putting the king cakes out: Is your king cake the same as Manny Randazzo King Cakes in Metairie and Randazzo's Camellia City Bakery in Slidell? "Totally different," she told me, before launching into a detailed history of Randazzo family bakeries.

It's too complicated to detail in a comment post, but we'll do a story about tha Randazzo family tree before the king cake challenge ends. In the meantime, think of it as analagous to the Brennan restaurant family. A lot of Brennans have restaurants, and some of them cross-promote. But if you were picking the best gumbo in New Orleans, you wouldn't lump all the different gumbos at Ralph's on the Park, Palace Cafe, Redfish Grill, Mr. B's, Commander's Palace, Cafe Adelaide and Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse under the heading "Brennan's." Same family, each with a different take on a traditional favorite. Similarly, each Randazzo bakery puts its own individual stamp on king cake, the one common denominator being that they're obviously all very popular. We didn't anticipate Randazzo's dominating the poll to this extent, but given that the poll is set up to limit one vote per computer, we take the results at face value.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful comments about this. We've had a lot of discussion about it in the newsroom as well. Hope this clarifies what our thinking is.

Sorry, Eddie ... harried editor (me) forgot to add an info box that appeared in the print version of this story to the blog. It's there now and includes pricing information. Basically, as with most cruises, it can run anywhere from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars depending on dates of travel and how luxuriously you choose to travel. Thanks for pointing out the omission.

I'm surprised we're more than 50 comments in and nobody has mentioned one of my favorites, DiMartino's (West Bank and north shore). Very similar to R&O's, but the gravy isn't quite as dark. I'm a sucker for lightly toasted French bread so I usually head to one of these two places when I'm craving a roast beef. They're both good and sloppy, but never soggy.

Quick update: a release from the P.R. agency representing the Hyatt Regency New Orleans says the hotel will have what sounds like a sports-themed bar called Vitascope Hall when it reopens Oct. 19. Cutting and pasting from the press release:

"Named after the world's first for-profit movie theater built in New Orleans in 1896, Vitascope Hall touts a state-of-the-art entertainment system with 25 flat-screen TVs and historically modern American cuisine ... Specialty sandwiches include the signature Vitascope Hall Burger; an eight ounce custom ground Angus and Kobe beef potato chip curst burger served with brie cheese and caramelized onions, slowly Cooked Pork Belly Sandwich, and Po-Boys with choice of Shrimp, Fried Oysters, BBQ Beef or BBQ Pulled Pork. All-day small bites include Crawfish and Pork Sausage Pigs in a Blanket and Homemade Potato Chips. A highlight of the Vitascope Hall menu is its ... raw bar, offering a seasonal selection of locally sourced Louisiana seafood and ... top-quality sushi, nigiri and sashimi. The ... bar also features some of the state's best crafted beers, as well as ... cocktails exclusively conceived by the bar's mixologist. With 210 seats and an abundance of flat-screen TVs broadcasting ... sporting events, news and music videos, Vitascope Hall is an ideal setting for a mid-week lunch, after-work drinks or a football-filled Sunday."

The old Hyatt at one time had a bar called Hi-Tops that was a hot spot on game days. Here's a link to Gambit's blog post, which includes an artist's rendering of the new space:

My guess is they'll work hard to attract a CBD lunch crowd. Just checked out their New Orleans menu online, and it's a bit more ambitious than their B.R. location ... they obviously know they can't survive on Superdome gameday crowds alone. Here's a link if you want to check it out.

I second the love for Lee's. They make every burger fresh and cook it on the onions rather than just topping the patty with sauteed onions -- much more flavorful than the Five Guys burger I tried. My favorite north shore burger of the moment is one that probably not a lot of people have tried -- the patty melt at Toad Hollow in the old Del Porto space on New Hampshire Street in downtown Covington. Made with kobe beef ... killer.

Bigger replay screens! Every other new stadium has massive wide-screen high-def Jumbotrons in the endzones. The Superdome has a (relatively) small square screen flanked by two giant billboards. Basically, we're giving up replay space for advertising space. Not cool. It's the only aspect of the Dome renovation that is not totally first-class. Replays are such a huge part of the game ... this is NOT the place to penny-pinch.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, I offer this compromise: flat-screen TVs in the rest rooms, so that at least we don't have to miss any of the game while we're standing in those ridiculously long lines!

I'm an "Idol" fan (and a country music fan) but I've got to agree with the commenters -- weakest Top Two performances in memory. Series started strong this year but came off the tracks during the competition phase.

FYI, for anyone who missed them, I also added the YouTube videos of Jovany Barreto's and Jordan Dorsey's performances to their previously posted recap here: http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2011/03/american_idol_contestants_jova.html

Am I the only one who came away from last night's show thinking this was one of the BEST groups of male singers "Idol" has ever had? I count at least a half-dozen guys who are totally legit, and two -- Casey (the red-headed dude with the beard) and Jacob (the histrionic Luther Vandross wannabe) -- whose performances were just off the charts. The judges' chemistry is so much better than the last couple of seasons, too. I'm an unabashed "Idol" fan, and I'm loving this season so far.

I agree, neverland911. Didn't know what to expect from Steven Tyler and J-Lo. But the judging this year has been really credible. The only cut I don't get at all is Paris Tassin ... they passed through a bunch of people who bombed their "one shot" because they showed promise in earlier appearances, but Tassin got the quick hook after one pitchy performance. Weird.

Since everybody's posting Pick Six memories, here's mine: I got to cover the game as a columnist writing from a fan's point of view. So when he gave me my media credentials, Sports Editor Doug Tatum gave me a stern warning about this being a working press box, no cheering allowed. I wasn't about to screw up this plum assignment, so I assured him that I would be on my most professional behavior.

The "press box" at Sun Life Stadium was a section of stands in the corner of the end zone that had been retrofitted as a working press area with tables, electrical power and Internet access installed in front of the regular box seats. Well, when Porter picked off the pass and started sprinting directly toward our end zone, I surged back and grabbed ahold of the temporary table to keep from jumping out of my seat. I'm pretty sure I levitated. But by God, I didn't cheer in the press box.

I looked to my right, and there was Bob Marshall, crusty veteran sportswriter, standing and screaming something that sounded an awful lot like, "Go! Go! Go!"

"Whatever happened to 'No cheering in the press box?'" I said. "I'm just the outdoors writer," Marshall cracked. "That doesn't apply to me."

It takes a lot to move a sportswriter. But that play did it. I'll never forget it.

clo Pa, what an awesome memory! I had completely forgotten about that. I was in the stadium after the game writing a deadline column, and "Iko Iko" stopped me dead in my tracks for two minutes. It was surreal. I was too busy to truly savor the moment but remembering it now gives me the chills.

(Very) late update: The special recently became available as an iTunes video download for $1.99. To purchase, you'll need to have iTunes loaded on your computer. After you launch the program, go to the iTunes store and type "america's game 2009 saints" in the search field, and follow the one-screen instructions.

I've only eaten Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant once -- a few years ago at La Provence when Chris K was the chef. The meal was amazing of course, and Chef Chris worked the dining room, basically making the whole restaurant feel like home. But if I don't have a crummy Detroit Lions game to watch and a couch to collapse on, it's just not Thanksgiving dinner.